Strong squad for Wycombe


West Ham United will be back in action on Saturday afternoon away to Wycombe Wanderers.

Sam Allardyce will take a strong squad to Adams Park for the 3pm kick-off, with the possibility that Pablo Barrera and Carlton Cole could join the majority of those who beat the Danish champions FC Copenhagen in Denmark on Wednesday.

Allardyce may choose to rest two or three of those that featured in a competitive encounter at the Parken Stadium, when Freddie Sears scored the only goal of the game two minutes from time. It is the penultimate first-team friendly - there is a game at Dagenham & Redbridge on Tuesday night - before the glamour home warm-up against Real Zaragoza on Saturday week.

Wycombe, who will be in confident mood after gaining promotion to League One last term, last hosted the Hammers in July 2003. Then, as now, West Ham had been relegated from the Premier League, with Wycombe running out 3-1 winners against a visiting side that included David James, Joe Cole, Jermain Defoe and Michael Carrick.

One present-day link between the two clubs comes in the shape of Czech Republic Under-21 goalkeeper Marek Stech, who played one game on loan at Adams Park in March 2009.

The two sides have met just three times in competitive matches previously. In the most recent of those meetings, Tony Cottee and Kenny Brown were on target as the Hammers scored a 2-0 FA Cup third-round victory at Wycombe in January 1995.

Prior to that, West Ham were known as Thames Ironworks FC when they met Wycombe in the Southern League Second Division during the 1898/99 season, winning 4-1 in both matches.

whufc.com will have full text commentary from Saturday's game and exclusive post-match reaction from the main men.

The club's official website will also bring you all the news from the development squad's game away to Weymouth Town.